Lift cutting machine



Feb. 9, 1937. L, F EXL'EY 2,Q70,477

LIFT CUTTING MACHINE Original Filed July 18, 1936 Patented Feb. 9, 1937 PATENT OFFIE LIFT CUTTING MACHINE Leo I. Exley, Johnson City, N. Y., assignor to Endicott Johnson Corporation, Endicott, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application July 18, 1936, Serial No.

91,385. Divided and this application November30, 1936, Serial No. 113,523

' 5 Claims.

This invention is a novel improvement in ma chines for operating lift cutting dies and the like, and this application is a division of my application for patent on Lift cutting dies and machines, filed July 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,385.

The machine is particularly designed for blanking or cutting out all sheet materials used in the construction of shoes or footwear, such as heel lifts, box toes, counters, heel reinforcing pieces, linings or any other part of a shoe, especially those blanks which have one straight, or substantially straight edge.

One object of my invention is to provide improved means for feeding the sheet of material to and between the die and cutting block so as to reduce waste of material and enable more blanks to be out from a given size of sheet than has heretofore been possible. 7

To enable others to understand and utilize my invention I will explain thesame with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a practical embodiment of my invention, and in the claims the essentials of the invention and novel features of construction and combinations of parts for which protection is desired are summarized.

In said drawing:-

Fig. l is a front elevation of part of a lift cutting machine equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a left hand end View of Fig. 1, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of Fig. 1 looking down upon the plane indicated by line 33. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic figure illustrating the lift cutting operation of the machine.

I will describe my machine as used for operating lift cutting dies such as shown and claimed in my aforesaid application. The cutting die, as shown in Fig. 2, has a body portion I conforming in contour to the lift to be cut, and a projection l a at one straight or nearly straight side extending in line with such side. Said die is provided at its base with a perforated flange l for engagement of bolts I h by which it is attached to the base Ilc, Fig. 1, which is mounted upon the table or support 2 of the die cutting machine, in the usual manner (see Fig. 1).

As lift cutting machines are well known, I have illustrated only so much of such machines as is necessary to enable thosefamiliar with the art to understand and use my invention.

The reciprocable plunger 3 above the die car- 7 ries a cutting block 3a adapted to cooperate with infeed side of the die are adapted to advance the sheet of material to be out, intermittently between the die and cutting block, after each cutting operation of the die. The feed rolls 4 are mounted on shafts 4a which are intermittently operated to feed the sheet as described; such intermittent operating mechanism is well known and therefore is not illustrated.

In advance of the feed rolls a table 5 is provided on which the sheet to be fed is placed by the workman, the inner edge of the sheet being positioned against a guide 5d at the rear side of said table.

In my invention I provide the said machine with auxiliary sheet feeding means, preferably employing a pair of rolls 6, located at the side of the die opposite rolls 4 and adapted to pull the sheet between the die and block, see Figs. 1-3. Rolls 6 are mounted on shaft 8a, and may be driven in unison with and from rolls 4 by means of sprockets 4s, 6s, and chains Gt as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. Rolls 6 preferably are located to engage the body of the stock rather than the cut strip. The rolls 6 insure the sheet passing properly and entirely past the die, and enable a lift to be cut from the heretofore waste stub on the rear end of the strip.

The shaft of the lower feed roll 6 is preferably divided having a rear part 6d journaled in a bearing 60, and a front portion loosely but nonrotatably connected with the rear portion, and journaled in a movable bearing 6e guided in a slot in a bracket 6 and normally pressed upward by a spring 69.

A sheet guide could be attached to the shaft of the lower feed roll 6, but as such shaft is capable of a limited up and down motion, and the feed roll mounted on this shaft is held in contact with the board by the pressure spring, I prefer to support the guide on the upper shaft.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a sheet guide I is loosely hung on the upper shaft 6a and has a depending bifurcation le loosely engaging the lower shaft. The guide I has an annular groove engaged by pins If in the end of a sleeve 1a adjustably threaded onto a tubular support lb which also forms the bearing for the shaft 6a of the upper feed roll 6. By manipulating the sleeve 1a the guide 1 may be adjusted while the machine is either in or out of operation.

The guide 1 and the back gauge 5a form two points of contact which under normal conditions insure a true straight progression of the sheet being out past and over the cutting die; and my improved die leaves a straight edge on the sheet, which edge will contact with the guides on the next passage of the sheet through the machine.

To further explain the feed, the set of feed rolls 4 push the sheet to the die for the first cut; the rolls 6 engage the sheet as it progresses past the die and pull the sheet entirely past the die. Both sets of rolls are utilized in order to accomplish the cutting-up of the entire strip, including a last-cut in the last end of the strip which has heretofore always been waste.

When my improved die is used on the machine, the straight edge of an uncut sheet is placed against the back gauge and moved forward over the cutting die and engaged by the feed rolls 4.

' The downward thrust of the cutting block cuts out of the sheet a lift (see Fig. 4) and at the proper time during the up-stroke of the plunger and cutting block the feed rolls 6 pull an uncut portion of the sheet over the die. The reciprocating motion of the cutting block and intermittent motion of the feed rolls, properly timed in relation to each other, cause the sheet to pass between the cutting block and the cutting die for its entire length, and results in a series of lifts being cut out.

In machines now in use, as before described, the feed rolls in effect push the stock to the die. These feed rolls 4 engage the main uncut portion of the board and inasmuch as in the machine, as at present arranged, the strip being out is sheared or broken before coming to the die, there remains on each end of scrap an 'uncut piece of board large enough to form a lift as no means is provided for carrying the same to and over the die. The rolls 6 in my machine will pull this heretofore waste portion into position over the die and a lift can be cut therefrom.

I claim:

1. In a blank cutting machine, the combination with a die and coacting cutting block; of a pair of feed rolls for feeding material between the die and block, shafts carrying said rolls, a guide adjustably mounted coaxially of one of the shafts, and guide adjusting means.

2. In a blank cutting machine; the combination with a die and coacting cutting block; of a pair of feed rolls for feeding material between the die and block, shafts carrying said rolls, a guide adjustably mounted coaxially of one of the shafts, a guide adjusting sleeve and a support for said sleeve having a threaded engagement therewith.

3. In a blank cutting machine; the combination with a die and coacting cutting block; of a pair of feed rolls for feeding material between the die and block, shafts carrying said rolls, a guide adjustably mounted coaxially of one of the shafts, a guide adjusting sleeve and a tubular support for said sleeve forming a bearing for the shaft, said support having a threaded engagement with the sleeve.

4. In a blank cutting machine having a die and coacting cutting block; a pair of feed rolls for feeding a material toward and over said die, a second piar of rolls at the opposite side of said die adapted to pull the material to and over the die, an adjustable stock guide adjacent the first feed rolls, an adjustable stock guide mounted on the shaft of one of the second feed rolls, and means for adjusting said guide independent of the shaft.

5. In a blank cutting machine having a die and coacting cutting block; a pair of feed rolls for feeding a material toward and over said die, a second pair of rolls at the opposite side of said die adapted to pull the material to and over the die, an adjustable stock guide adjacent the first feed rolls, an adjustable stock guide mounted on the shaft of one second feed roll, a tubular support for said shaft, and a guide adjusting sleeve mounted on said support.

LEO F. EXLEY. 

